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Police have called the continued breaching of lockdown rules "simply unacceptable" five weeks on since they were first introduced.

South Wales Police's Assistant Chief Constable Andy Valentine said the force had been called to incidents of people breaking lockdown restrictions for "frankly ridiculous" reasons and warned that doing so could lead to a delay in them being lifted.

Officers have been called to groups flocking to open spaces to sunbathe, play football and enjoy picnics; house parties, barbecues and large family gatherings; and suspected pub "lock-ins" in the five weeks since restrictions came into effect.

Other incidents included a woman who drove from Dorset to Cardiff to buy a car before breaking down on Newport Road, and a couple who travelled to South Wales from Leicester to collect a rug.

The force said that on the weekend of April 24-26 it received more than 4,000 calls - a third of which were related to coronavirus.

ACC Valentine said: "Our officers are out in our communities, engaging and enforcing where necessary, but we cannot be everywhere all of the time."

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Figures released by the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) on Thursday show South Wales Police has issued 102 fixed penalty notices since the Government restrictions began.

“Government restrictions have now been in place for more than five weeks, and it is simply unacceptable that some people appear to believe the legislation does not apply to them. Every single person in society has a part to play in helping stop the spread of coronavirus," said ACC Valentine, who is leading the force’s Covid-19 response.

“The vast majority have taken that message on-board and are complying because it is the right thing to do.

“Sadly, there appears to be a small section of the public who don’t appear to care about protecting themselves, their loved ones or the NHS and some of the reasons given to my colleagues for not complying with the restrictions have been frankly ridiculous.

"To those who are ignoring the regulations, please be under no illusion that we will enforce the regulations and issue fines."

Earlier today, Wales' chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton warned that Covid-19 "is not finished with us yet" as the death toll in Wales surpassed 900.

ACC Valentine said: "Complacency now, even just by a few, could really set back the progress that has been made so far; something which none of us want to see.

"We appreciate that this is a challenging situation and one unlike anything any of us have ever experienced, however failing to comply will only delay the lifting of restrictions.

ACC Valentine added that force members were "engaging and enforcing where necessary" but that the public and businesses also needed to play a part.

"Businesses have important role in ensuring social distancing to protect their customers and staff, and we have had to refer a number of companies to local authorities for enforcement action.

“Primarily, all individuals need to take responsibility for their actions. Our message remains a simple one – please: Stay Home, Protect the NHS, and Save Lives.

“Those failing to do so risk receiving a fine, losing commercial licences and – most importantly – contracting and spreading the virus.”